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Meet Bella

Bella is an 8 year old DLH calico who is looking again for her forever home. Bella was placed in 2008 as an only cat to a wonderful woman who doted on Bella. Unfortunately her adoptor passed away suddenly and none of the children in the family would step up to adopt Bella. Bella ultimately ended up at the Western PA Humane Society where we received a call to retrieve her since she was chipped.

Bella is a beautiful cat and is looking for a home as a "once-again spoiled cat." Bella thrives in a quiet environment that will bring out her playful and affectionate side.

Bella has been tested for feline leukemia, is spayed and has had all of her vaccinations.

If you are interested in adopting Bella, please call our answering service at 412-481-9144 or visit our website and fill out an adoption questionnaire at www.fostercat.org.

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Mention FosterCat when shopping at Ebi Fountains

If any of you are interested in buying a handmade ceramic fountain from Ebi Fountains, please mention "FosterCat PA" and FosterCat will receive $10 for each fountain purchased. This donation offer is on-going.

Visit FosterCat on Facebook!

Take a moment and become a Friend of FosterCat, Inc, browse our gallery of cats and kittens that need a loving, permanent home, and learn about upcoming FosterCat events.

FosterCat Newsletter

The Beauty and Magic of Fostering

Click Here to learn more about what fostering is, why it saves cats’ lives and how you can help.

Courtesy of

Support FosterCat by Buying Jewelry!

Catmint Creations is the new website launched by Norma Clouse designed to benefit animal rescue in our region.

Ms. Clouse will donate 25% of gross sales to Pittsburgh animal rescue organizations including FosterCat! Anyone buying items can indicate FosterCat as their chosen donation in the message field at checkout.

To learn more and to begin treating FosterCat by treating yourself, go to Catmint Creations!

Proceeds from Cat Poetry to Help FosterCat

In early 2010, the Minnich family adopted Joey, a year-old orphan. In late 2010, Joey died when the house caught fire. In memory of Joey, proceeds from Randy Minnich’s book of poetry - Pavlov’s Cats: Their Story - will help support FosterCat. Copies will be available at the September Spaghetti Dinner, through Lulu.com, and through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Wise Words

"It is a very inconvenient habit of kittens (Alice had once made the remark) that, whatever you say to them, they always purr."

--Through the Looking-Glass, and what Alice found there, Lewis Carroll

Why FosterCat?

Foster Cat, Inc. is all about saving lives. It’s as simple as that. We are an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to the proposition that all cats and kittens deserve safe, loving, permanent homes.

Our foster parents provide temporary care for cats and kittens in their
homes until they can be placed for adoption. Their compassion provides
the second chance that so many stray, abandoned or homeless kitties
need, and the satisfaction of knowing that they have helped save the
lives of these helpless animals.

FosterCat provides training and support, medications, food and litter
as needed, and absorbs all veterinary expenses associated with the care
of our kitties. If you love kitties and would like to be a part of our
lifesaving team, consider opening your heart and home to cats or kittens
in need. We promise you won’t regret it! If you can’t
foster, you can still help save lives as a volunteer or supporting member.
Click on “How You Can Help”, above, for more information.

The Right Fit

Most of us have probably known couples with a wide disparity
in their ages who have “fallen in love” and subsequently married.
While some of these relationships, often referred to as “May/December romances” may flourish, many more unravel, for what
would seem to be fairly obvious reasons. Differences which may
not seem significant in the early years often intensify as time
goes by and the natural and universal effects of the aging process
unfold.

While it is certainly not appropriate to draw an exact parallel
between choosing a suitable marriage partner and adopting a
companion animal, some of the same issues are common to both.
Let me address two that frequently come up in the adoption
screening process:

• It simply does not make sense for a person
in his/her 70’s or 80’s to adopt a kitten. That
seems so patently obvious that you might think
it would rarely be an issue. Unfortunately, however,
it is not at all unusual. Not only do these
applicants seem not to consider the fact that
the kitten may well outlive them, or that they
may very likely become mentally or physically
unable to care for the kitten, they become
downright indignant if I raise these issues, or
suggest that it might be more appropriate for
them to consider adopting an older kitty.

Several weeks ago, for
example, I received an application
from a woman
who wanted to adopt a
four month old kitten.
When I called her to discuss
the application, I
asked her age and she told
me that she was 75.
When I expressed concern
about her adopting a
kitten, she was quick to
inform me that she was in
excellent health, that her parents had both lived into their late
80’s and that she also had a brother who was 85, as if this family
history provided some sort of guarantee of her own continuing
good health and longevity. I asked if she had any children or
grandchildren who would be willing to serve as a co-adopter and
obligate themselves to take over the care of the kitten, if necessary.
She said that she would have to check with them, so I told
her I would call her back the next day.

When I called her back, she informed me that since I wouldn’t
let her have the kitten that her daughter had gotten her a “free”
kitten from a farm and that she just loved the kitten and was
enjoying watching her running and playing. Since the kitten had
not been spayed, I gave her information about low cost options,
wished her well, and happily assumed I’d heard the last of her.

The next day I answered my phone and was surprised when
the woman on the other end of the line identified herself as the
very same applicant Between her gasping sobs, she proceeded
to tell me that I had been right; the kitten was far too active for
her and she was already exhausted from trying to care for her.
She had now realized, she explained, that between caring for her
husband, who suffers from dementia, and dealing with the limitations
of her wheelchair (neither of which she had disclosed in our
earlier conversation) she just wasn’t going to be able to care for
the kitten, so could I please take her into our program and find
another home for her. I trust you have seen my point.

• It is generally not a good idea to adopt a kitten or young cat
as a companion for an elderly cat. Unless the older cat is unusually
active, he or she will almost certainly not appreciate being
constantly jumped, chased or ambushed by a young whippersnapper
attempting to engage him or her in active play. Almost
inevitably, the older cat will feel threatened and set upon and will
react to the stress by withdrawing into hiding or acting out in
some undesirable way, such as urine marking or over-grooming,
and the kitten will be frustrated and lonely without a suitable
playmate.

It would be a far better bet to adopt a companion closer in age,
or adopt two kittens who can chase and tussle with each other,
leaving their senior sibling
to live in peace, while still
benefiting from the presence
of other felines in
the home.

If you or someone you
know is considering
adopting a kitty and find
yourself in one of these
situations, please consider
these issues or suggest
that others factor them
into the selection process.
Perhaps Bella or Minuit,
two lovely kitties who
both recently lost their
homes due to the death or incapacitation of their caregivers would
be “the right fit” for you.

Help Kitties While You Shop

If you’re still working on your holiday shopping list, please
consider purchasing hand-crafted jewelry or holiday ornaments
from Catmint Creations, LLC, owned
and operated by FosterCat volunteer
Norma Clouse. Norma formed the
company in 2012 to support local
animal rescue and welfare groups in
the Pittsburgh area, donating 25% of
gross sales to agencies chosen by purchasers.

Orders can be placed through the company’s website at
www.etsy.com/shop/CatmintCreations. A wide variety of items
are available, in addition to those pictured here, including a lovely
wall quilt featuring red lilies. The entire purchase price of $150
for this item will be directed to FosterCat, Inc. Purchasers of
other items may direct the donation of partial sale proceeds to
FosterCat in the Message field at checkout.
Norma is offering a 10% discount on
all purchases (other than the quilt) designating
FosterCat as the recipient organization
from now through December 31.
Simply enter FosterCat in the coupon
code field at check out to receive the
discount.

Thank you, Norma, for helping us continue
to help the kitties.

Ninth Spaghetti Dinner Sets New Record

Yes, we did it again! Thanks to a lot of hard work and the
generosity of our volunteers and supporters, FosterCat netted
a whopping $8200.00 for the care of our cats and kittens from
this year’s event, surpassing 2013’s record of $5600.00 by nearly
50%. In addition to the proceeds of record ticket sales, we also
raised a record amount from the Chinese auction and sale of
logo and vendor items, as our new location at St. Catherine’s
provided increased space to accommodate additional diners
and vendors.

We send our thanks to all who came out to support us in this
important event. We also thank all those who helped by donating
food, supplies or auction items, selling tickets, or working
at the event, including volunteers Gary Benko, Lois Wray, Katie
Tontala, Kathy Schwenning, Kathy Kacvinsky, Elaine Quinque,
Flora Brandi, Denise Consonery, Mary Ann Mitro, Linda and
Sam Caputo, Laura Ammon, Mike Weis, Ginny Haid, Kim
Zambrano, Michelle Dunn, Teri Koms, Rose Weber, Bobbie
Schiegg, Audrey Franzetta, Ron and Dianne Gruendl, Barbara
Slade and Alexa Howald.

We are especially grateful to Barb Slade and Dianne Gruendl,
who spent countless hours soliciting donors, organizing the
auction, communicating with vendors and handling many other
details.

New Rescue Magazine To Support FosterCat

We have registered FosterCat as a charity for the new magazine "Rescue Me." Kellie Gormly, one of our volunteers, who is a journalist, will have a column in every issue!

It does not cost FC anything to register and if you are interested in subscribing, please reference FosterCat and the Rescue ID number for FosterCat C831. FosterCat will receive $19.95 for each $29.95 subscription fee received.

Please encourage friends and relatives to subscribe and remember to use our FosterCat ID C831 on all subscription orders!

Attention Cat Lovers in the South Hills Area

FosterCat, Inc. is seeking responsible, cat loving caregivers to provide temporary love and care for homeless cats until permanent homes are found. FosterCat, Inc. is a local 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Contact FosterCat, Inc. at 412-481-9144 or click here to learn more about becoming a FosterCat foster parent and to submit a foster application.

Visit FosterCat's Adoptables at these places:

Come see some of our cats at the Cranberry, Monroeville, Northway Mall and Pleasant Hills PetSmart Locations!

Animal Abuse Hotline for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has established a statewide toll-free hotline for reporting cases of animal abuse. Concerned citizens observing incidents of abuse may contact the Society at (866) 601-SPCA.

Our Mission

The mission of FosterCat Inc. is to develop and sustain an organization to provide temporary foster care for cats and kittens in private homes until permanent homes can be found.